Boston police shut down Phi Delts party during holiday weekend
A party thrown by MIT fraternity Phi Delta Theta during Labor Day Weekend was shut down by Boston Police after detectives discovered underage drinking and overcrowding. The Sunday party, which came during rush week, included a waterfall flowing down the stairwell and spilling onto a marble staircase.
Blunt egg donor ad generates controversy among students, CSAIL
The ad described the ideal candidate as a “21 year old Chinese MIT student, top in her class, several awards in high school and university.”
Former Secretary of Energy returns to MIT, plans to focus on energy and nuclear threats
Ernest Moniz, a nuclear physicist who served as Secretary of Energy under former President Obama from 2013 to 2017, has returned to MIT to continue his work in tackling energy challenges and nuclear security.
Behind the Media Lab’s $250,000 Disobedience Award
The latest buzz around campus stems not from a startup or disruptive technology, but rather from principles more readily associated with Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi than MIT students.
CRISPR patent ruling has little impact in laboratory setting, MIT researchers say
Researchers maintained that the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s Feb. 15 decision giving the Broad Institute the go-ahead on editing eukaryotic genomes with CRISPR had little impact on their research.
ASA accepting applications to new student groups again
The moratorium imposed on new student groups by the Association of Student Activities has ended, meaning students can once again register new clubs. After a semester of not recognizing new groups due to understaffing and an outdated application system, the ASA has resumed the recognition process as originally planned.
Chancellor discusses future of education with students
Around 50 undergraduate students gathered Wednesday evening to brainstorm the future of MIT’s education at an event hosted by the UA Committee on Education with Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart PhD ’88.
MIT celebrates centennial with parade, pageant, and parties
The Moving Day festivities, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of MIT's Cambridge location, included a procession across the Charles River, a pageant with professional actors, and four dance parties.
Olympians of MIT
Many international students participated in olympiads in high school. What about these competitions allows these students to discover MIT, apply to MIT, and then be accepted to MIT?
Institute launches $5 billion comprehensive campaign
Called the MIT Campaign for a Better World, the initiative has already garnered $2.6 billion from more than 77,000 donors.
Israeli military commander, and now prefrosh
At first, Sara’s story sounds like the stories of many of the other admitted students visiting MIT this weekend. She was born in California, was very active in extracurriculars growing up, and felt like she had won the lottery when she was accepted to MIT.
IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, talks demographic change, energy, and MIT culture
Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, spoke at MIT last Friday, saying “we need to reframe the debate about demographics” and the global challenges that come with demographic changes. Her plan to counter shrinking and ageing populations in advanced economies includes both policy-driven approaches, such as entitlement reform, as well as calls for technological innovation in healthcare and energy.
Gravitational waves, in the words of MIT researchers
MIT physicists gathered in the Bush Room under MIT’s dome on Feb. 11 to share some important news. The world knows what came next: in parallel with an event at the National Science Foundation, the scientists announced their breakthrough in making the first direct observation of gravitational waves. The cause of the waves was equally spectacular: a billion years ago, two black holes collided and outputted 50 times more power than all the suns in the universe.
A struggle within MIT’s IT department over its future
The sweeping transformation that is currently underway at MIT’s Information Systems and Technology office is one that is unprecedented in its scope and backlash from employees. Many students and faculty are familiar with IS&T, which maintains services ranging from email accounts to Athena clusters across campus — technologies that underlie everyone’s time at MIT. Fewer people, however, are aware of the changes that have redefined the organization over the past year.
Why bike across America?
This is the first article in a two-part series about a biking/teaching adventure across America. Part One describes what a 3,000-mile bike trip feels like and why a sane person would ever willingly embark on one.
New MIT master's program will be half online, half on campus
MIT introduced a pilot program Wednesday in which professionals can receive a master’s degree in supply chain management (SCM) by taking the online equivalent of a semester’s worth of classes and following it up with a semester on campus.
Maker pioneers from Iraq visit MIT campus
Three Iraqi technologists who founded the first makerspace in Basra, Iraq visited MIT on Monday and Tuesday to meet with various labs and student groups as part of a tour hosted by the Media Lab and the Undergraduate Association Innovation Committee.
Maseeh is most popular choice in housing lottery for freshmen
Maseeh Hall was the first-choice dorm for 277 students in this year’s freshmen housing lottery, a 92 percent increase from last year. Approximately 60 percent of the Class of 2019 opted for one of three dorms — Maseeh, Baker, or Simmons — as their top choice, according to data released by MIT’s Residential Life & Dining.
Marathon bomber sentenced to death
Most of the jurors were unconvinced by the defense's mitigating factors, such as the claim that it was Tsarnaev's brother who shot MIT police officer Sean Collier.
Defense plays down prosecutors' image of 'unrepenting' Tsarnaev flashing middle finger
Jurors saw a new face of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the opening statements of the marathon bombing trial’s penalty phase on Tuesday, when the government showed a photo of Tsarnaev flashing his middle finger at a holding cell camera shortly after his arrest two years ago.
Closing arguments expected Monday in guilt phase of Tsarnaev trial
After calling just four witnesses, the defense in the Boston Marathon bombing trial rested its case on Tuesday, clearing the way for closing arguments to be held next Monday, April 6. Closing statements will be followed by the second phase of the trial — the penalty phase — if defendant Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is convicted.
Government rests its case in Boston Marathon bombing trial
The prosecution called its final witnesses to describe the bombing victims' injuries in graphic detail, which left several jurors in tears.
MIT student, police officers testify about Sean Collier's death
The trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and subsequent murder of MIT police officer Sean Collier entered its second week with emotional testimonies and never-before released evidence about Collier’s death.
Y Combinator partners tell MIT students to steer clear of big-name companies
On Thursday evening, over a hundred students gathered in room 54-100 to learn something that is usually not formally taught in MIT classes: how to run a startup.
In opening statement, defense says Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's brother killed Sean Collier
The defense attorney for alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev said Wednesday that it was his brother Tamerlan, and not Tsarnaev himself, who killed MIT Police Officer Sean Collier on April 18, 2013.
Tsarnaev's lawyer: brother, not Dzhokhar, killed Sean Collier
The defense attorney for alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev said Wednesday that it was his brother Tamerlan, and not Tsarnaev himself, who killed MIT Police Officer Sean Collier on April 18, 2013.
Boston Marathon bombing trial scheduled to begin next week
Opening statements are expected to commence next Wednesday in the trial of the accused Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, according to a court official. Pending motions will be addressed in a hearing on Monday, and on Tuesday the defense and prosecution teams will whittle down the 70 remaining potential jurors to the 18 who will be seated for opening statements.
Two house managers leave MIT, interim managers chosen by administration
MIT lost two dorm house managers this month and has begun the process of replacing them. A campus official said that housemasters administrators, and students will be involved.
MIT closed Tuesday, joining many but not all area colleges
Just over six feet of snow have fallen in Boston these past 18 days, setting new records in terms of both depth and speed, according to Weather.com. MIT was among the many institutions that shut down Monday and Tuesday due to the snowstorm that led Governor Charlie Baker to declare a state of emergency Monday night.
Marathon bombing suspect faces potential jurors in federal courthouse
The much-anticipated trial of the alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev began in federal court Monday, with about 400 of over 1,200 potential jurors showing up to complete a preliminary questionnaire. They got a first sight of Tsarnaev and his attorneys, along with the federal prosecution team, who are preparing for a trial that is expected to take months and could end in the death penalty.
Marathon bombing trial begins this week with jury selection
The much-anticipated trial of the alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev began in federal court Monday, with about 400 of over 1,200 potential jurors showing up to complete a preliminary questionnaire. The jurors got a first sight of Tsarnaev and his attorneys, along with the federal prosecution team, who are preparing for a trial that is expected to take months and could end in the death penalty.
Behind the suspension of the MIT Delta Upsilon fraternity
When MIT’s Technology Chapter of the Delta Upsilon fraternity was suspended this past April, there was no clear indication of the cause to outsiders. Other than the vague “inappropriate behavior” mentioned in a press release, neither Delta Upsilon International nor MIT explained why they were shutting down the chapter for two years.
Panhel votes for new sorority
Discussions are underway to introduce a new sorority on campus after a unanimous vote from the Panhellenic Council on Sept. 29 to “open campus to extension,” according to Panhel President Yasmin C. Inam ’15. The sorority will join six other sororities on campus as part of the Panhellenic Association.
East Campus website offers glimpse into residential life
Undergraduate students from the east side of campus have set up a website called “This is the East Side” that offers a glimpse into residential life at MIT. The project was prompted by a general “distrust that so many students have for the administration” and a community dinner with Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart PhD ’88 at East Campus, according to Jessica M. Parker ’15, the president of East Campus. Parker said that she and others involved in the project hope that it will narrow the “gap in perspective” between students and the administration.
Close races mark freshman elections
The Undergraduate Association released the results of the 2018 Class Council elections in an email sent to all freshmen on Friday. The class elected Colin O. Webb ’18 as president and Daysi N. Gomez ’18 as vice president.
MIT community reflects on recent deaths, ‘opens doors’
This past Monday, students, professors, and administrators came together at noon to reflect on the recent deaths in the MIT community. Following the death of Phoebe Wang ’17, Chancellor Cynthia A. Barnhart PhD ’88 and student leaders called upon the community to take part in a 15-minute reflection on Monday, calling it an “All Doors Open” period.
Baker, Simmons, Maseeh are freshmen’s top choices
Baker, Simmons, and Maseeh once again topped the residence preferences in this summer’s freshmen housing lottery. MacGregor, on the other hand, saw its lowest numbers in four years, while Next demonstrated a surge in interest during the same period, according to data provided by MIT Residential Life and Dining. This year also marked the first time that Maseeh participated in the First Year Residence Exchange (FYRE), in which students have the option to switch dorms during their first week at MIT.